PW14 Probabilistic Ecological Risk Assessment
Exhibit Hall
8:00 AM - Wednesday
(PW240) Risk Assessment and Net Environmental Benefit Analysis for Metal Exposures at a Small Arms Firing Range in Central California.
DeShields, B1, Pattanayek, M1, DiMundo, G2, Navarro, N3, 1 BBL Sciences, Petaluma, CA, USA2 MACTEC E & I, Petaluma, CA, USA3 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento, CA, USA
ABSTRACT- An ecological risk assessment was conducted at the Multi-Range Area at Fort Ord, California to evaluate risks associated with exposure to antimony, copper, and lead. Site-specific tissue data along with data for over 3000 soil samples collected across the 8,000 acre site were used long with data on habitat quality to assess risks associated with different habitats (low, moderate, high, and very high quality). Parameters used to determine habitat quality included degree of vegetative cover, species composition, including degree of occurrence of non-native invasive species, and the presence/absence of special-status species and critical habitat. A variety of tools were used to assess the spatial nature of the risks including frequency distributions, area-weighted exposure point concentrations, and random home range circles. This data was to estimate risks to ecological receptors and in an evaluation of the remedial alternatives using a net environmental benefit analysis (NEBA) to weigh risk reduction against habitat destruction. The NEBA was used to evaluate remediation scenarios ranging from soil removal in only the low quality habitat areas up to complete removal of soil above ecological thresholds; the net environmental benefit of each alternative was weighed to provide a risk management tool.
Key words: Net environmental benefit, lead, risk assessment, habitat